Linked List: September 30, 2014

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Schrödinger’s Shift Key ★

Allen Pike:

In iOS 7.1, Apple changed the design of the shift key. This was the worst thing to happen in the history of software.

Single most surprising thing about iOS 8 to me is that Apple didn’t fix this.

Microsoft Skips ‘Too Good’ Windows 9, Jumps to Windows 10 ★

April Fool’s joke in 2013, actual news story in 2014.

How iOS 8’s Time-Lapse Feature Works ★

Dan Provost, Studio Neat:

On Apple’s website, they claim that in time-lapse mode, “iOS 8 does all the work, snapping photos at dynamically selected intervals.” When I first read this, I thought they were doing something super fancy, like monitoring the frame for movement and only snapping a picture when something changes. On deeper reflection, this would be a bad idea. Time-lapse videos look best when they are buttery smooth, and dynamically selecting intervals in this fashion would create a jittery and jerky video. So what does Apple mean by “dynamically selected intervals”?

Turns out, what Apple is doing is quite simple, and indeed, pretty clever.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder ‘Endorses’ Apple’s and Google’s Data Encryption ★

Julia Edwards, reporting for Reuters:

Apple’s new iPhone 6, released this month, and Google’s coming update of the Android smartphone have data encryption so sophisticated that only the user may unlock it. Even law enforcement officers with search warrants would not have access.

“It is fully possible to permit law enforcement to do its job while still adequately protecting personal privacy,” Holder said in a speech before the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online.

Holder said quick access to phone data can help law enforcement officers find and protect victims, such as those targeted by kidnappers and sexual predators.

This is no different than law enforcement asking for “quick access” into the locked doors of our homes or offices.

Why Clay Shirky Asked His Students to Put Their Laptops Away ★

Clay Shirky:

Jonathan Haidt’s metaphor of the elephant and the rider is useful here. In Haidt’s telling, the mind is like an elephant (the emotions) with a rider (the intellect) on top. The rider can see and plan ahead, but the elephant is far more powerful. Sometimes the rider and the elephant work together (the ideal in classroom settings), but if they conflict, the elephant usually wins.

After reading Haidt, I’ve stopped thinking of students as people who simply make choices about whether to pay attention, and started thinking of them as people trying to pay attention but having to compete with various influences, the largest of which is their own propensity towards involuntary and emotional reaction. (This is even harder for young people, the elephant so strong, the rider still a novice.)

Interesting comparison to second-hand smoking, too:

The final realization — the one that firmly tipped me over into the “No devices in class” camp — was this: screens generate distraction in a manner akin to second-hand smoke. A paper with the blunt title Laptop Multitasking Hinders Classroom Learning for Both Users and Nearby Peers says it all.

On PayPal and Apple Pay ★

Ian Kar, writing for Bank Innovation:

Apple and PayPal started talking early on in Apple’s development of Apple Pay, as Apple was setting up partnerships with the card issuing banks and card networks. Since PayPal’s a payments industry leader, it would have been shortsighted for Apple to not reach out to PayPal.

But while these talks were going on, PayPal went ahead and partnered with Samsung on the Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner, a move that was reportedly forced onto PayPal by eBay CEO John Donahoe. PayPal’s now-former president David Marcus was purportedly categorically against the Samsung deal, knowing that it would jeopardize PayPal’s relationship with Apple. Donahoe won the day, however.

Apple was said to be absolutely furious that PayPal did the deal with Samsung, which led Apple to cut PayPal out of the Apple Pay process entirely. (One source said: “Apple kicked them out of the door.”) This dust up with Apple was a big reason that David Marcus ended up leaving PayPal for Facebook.

Smooth move.

What It’s Like to Fly in Singapore Airlines Suites Class ★

As Jason Snell points out, keep the idea of $18,000 plane tickets in mind when it comes to the pricing of Apple Watch.

Update: Fireballed, still. Cached version here.

Update 2: It appears that the writer, Derek Low, plagiarized some of the passages and photos from his story.

‘It’s Just a Watch’ ★

New branding campaign from Pebble. I like it. The playful, casual, colorful tone suits Pebble well, and the emphasis on price and battery life plays to Pebble’s strengths.

What gives me pause, though, is the “Breathe, Jony” headline. That seems a little petty. Personal, not playful.